1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit package which prevents the interrogation of an integrated circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Integrated circuits are typically housed within a plastic or ceramic package that is soldered to a printed circuit board. The integrated circuit may contain information such as microcode that is proprietary to the producer of the chip. The downloading of such information can be valuable to a competitor that may want to duplicate the circuit. Additionally, the integrated circuit may contain information proprietary to the end user, such as credit and banking information.
The information on a integrated circuit can be accessed by exposing the circuit die to a probe(s). The die can be exposed to the probe by simply removing the package lid or etching away the package material. It would be desirable to provide an integrated circuit package that would prevent the interrogation of an integrated circuit by an external probe.
The present invention is an integrated circuit package which has a flexible circuit that covers an integrated circuit. The flexible circuit contains a conductive line, which prevents a probe from accessing the integrated circuit. The conductive line of the flexible circuit can be attached to the power lines, synchronization line, memory erase line, or any other line that will disable, erase or otherwise prevent access to the integrated circuit if the flexible circuit conductive line is broken.